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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501443">Tributes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Llama1412/pseuds/Llama1412'>Llama1412</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005), Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode Related, Episode: s03e05 Children of Earth - Day 5, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2011-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2011-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:54:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>551</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Llama1412/pseuds/Llama1412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for Children of Earth. Before Jack leaves the planet, he feels the need to give something to all those who have been deserted by the Doctor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tributes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted to livejournal and whofic.com in 2011. Posted unedited.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="inner">
  <p></p>
  <div class="entry-content">
    <p>Jack was sick of Earth. It was too confining, too full of memories. He needed out, away from all the blonde-haired boys and men in suits that just looked too much like the ones he'd lost.</p>
    <p>He'd sworn never to abandon his people like the Doctor had done to him. He had time, after all. So much time. And yet he'd already broken that promise so many times, hadn't he? Already hurt so many people...</p>
    <p>But he was leaving now. He wouldn't be able to hurt them anymore. Gwen would be sad to see him go, yes, but it would be better for her in the long run.</p>
    <p>Before he left, though, there was one more thing he could do. Because he hadn't been the only one to find himself stuck on Earth, unable to escape until now. He wasn't the only one the Doctor had abandoned...again.</p>
    <p>For starters, there was Sarah Jane Smith and her incredible little crew of alien hunters. For her, he left passcodes to all of Torchwood's intelligence information. She would be able to use it to help people where he'd only been able to kill people with it.</p>
    <p>Then there was Martha Jones. Lovely Martha Jones. Well, Smith-Jones now, wasn't it? Martha and Mickey Smith-Jones, freelance alien hunters. He couldn't be prouder of them. Torchwood may be left in pieces, but Smith and Jones were going to protect the Earth. To them, he was leaving all of the technology he'd pilfered, uncatalogued, from Torchwood over the years. They wouldn't be able to use all of them, but the scanners, at least, would serve them well in their new business.</p>
    <p>Finally, Ms. Donna Noble. The woman who saved the universe. Not that she could remember, of course, which made it harder to leave her a gift. It couldn't be anything that would remind her of the Doctor. And disregarding anything alien, he didn't actually have all that much to give. Except...well, lifetimes of working for Torchwood had paid well and he certainly didn't need to money. Not where he was going. The last checkup he'd done on Donna (favor for the Doctor. Not that the Doctor had paid him back well, had he?) had said she was getting married. A spring wedding. For a family without much income, that couldn't be easy. That would be his gift then. He'd give it to her family, make sure it wouldn't endanger Donna. Maybe she couldn't remember that she'd been left on Earth like the rest of them, but surely she could feel the emptiness that the Doctor always left behind. And the money wouldn't fix that, no, but it would help, just a little.</p>
    <p>It was all Jack could do. Because now, the protection of Earth would be left to them. It was no longer his responsibility, no longer his place to do more harm than good.</p>
    <p>Maybe someday he'd come back, see Gwen's baby, seek Alice's forgiveness. But not for a long time. Not while the sins he committed hung over his head and shattered his heart.</p>
    <p>The Doctor had been right to abandon him. He could probably see the harm Jack would cause. But all those others...they didn't deserve abandonment. Not from the Doctor and not from Jack.</p>
    <p>He only hoped they could understand.</p>
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